TLOS: In The Purple, Reignited. Chapter 6.

How to Make Friends and Influence People

“So it sounds like everything went well?” Nicola asked, between large sips of hot cocoa. Ddraig couldn’t help but stare: she was stirring the drink with a chocolate bar again.

“That it did.” Ddraig eventually said, quickly looking back up at her friend. “I was so surprised that Willem and Victoria ended up being as agreeable as they were. Willem wasn’t exactly ‘down to Earth’, but there’s certainly a good dragon in him, and he and Eve certainly hit it off…”

“You don’t need to tell me that.” Cystal smiled. “Ollie was up all night chatting with her about it; I don’t think I’m going to hear the end of it for a good long time yet!”

“I confess, I’m glad.” Ddraig said. “Between the thing with the dresses and this, it’s the happiest I’ve seen her in quite a while.”

“That reminds me,” Crystal added, “Olivia keeps telling me about her plans to...erm, turn into a bird? Is that some kind of in-joke?”

Ddraig laughed. “Yeah, you could say that. It caught us all off-guard, but it certainly did help clear the air for the rest of the night.”

“Oh, I know what happened,” Nicola chuckled, putting down her cup. “He did a ‘Dad joke’, didn’t he?”

“Yep, and you should have seen just how much Spyro and Cynder laughed over it.” she said, sighing wistfully. “They’ve been through so much these last few years, you don’t know how good it is to see them just having some fun for a change.”

“Indeed,” Nicola agreed, “those two need more time to just be hatchlings.”

“Well, I have been working on that.” Ddraig noted. “The day after that, Alex and I took them and Eve out on a day trip, and the three of them ran themselves ragged chasing each other from park to park! And yesterday we spent several hours in the kitchen and...well, uhh…” she nervously chuckled, “you might wanna see it for yourselves.”

She got up from her chair, beckoning for her friends to follow, and led them to her dining room, where the fruits of her labours were on display. As she’d expected, both Nicola and Cystal let out gasps when they saw what lay before them; on the table were a ludicrous variety of dishes, ranging from simple snacks - cheese platters, assorted meats, some...unique dishes courtesy of Spyro - to larger meals on platters and even a couple of desserts.

“I...er,” Ddraig blushed, “I might have spent a bit more time in there after everyone else was done…” She quickly found herself trapped in Nicola's bear hug.

“Oh, I only wish I had been there to join you!” she said, before letting go to lean over the table, trying to catch every scent. “Hmm, do I detect a pattern with dear Spyro’s preferences and the use of purple dishware?”

“Yeah,” Ddraig nodded, “I figured not everyone would be so keen on insect stuff, so call that a little piece of…colour coding.”

“Insect stuff?” Cystal grimaced, pulling her foreclaw back from a bowl of seemingly innocent looking patte, lest it be some kind of mysterious bug mush.

“Just the purple ones, Cystal.” Ddraig repeated. “Although I have to say the fried tarantulas were surprisingly tasty.” she added, indicating the covered plate to the right.

“I’ll leave them to you, I think.” her friend said, not looking convinced in the slightest.

“Come on,” Nicola grinned, eagerly leaning towards the table, “be adventurous! It’s a fresh delicacy for us to conquer!”

“Conquer?” Cystal snorted.

“What?” Nicola shrugged. “A mountaineer conquers a mountain when they climb it, don’t they?”

“So you ‘conquer’ a meal when you eat it?” Ddraig remarked. “That kinda makes it sound like a struggle...”

“Nothing worth doing is easy, darling.” Nicola smiled. “Oh, but I manage.”

“That better not be a condemnation of my cooking.”

"Certainly not! All I meant is that a great and large lunch can be difficult on a day where one has already had two breakfasts...”

"Ancestors, Nic-"

“Anyway, what have you made for us?” she continued, grabbing a plate covered in scones with a free foreclaw. “Ooh, these smell so rich…”

Without meaning to, Nicola had alluded to something Ddraig had been considering employing at the summit...scent. Specifically, that of her own heat; an uncharacteristically crafty part of her mind had argued it could be a way of swaying some of her guests, and although she wasn’t sure her friends and family would approve of such an act, she couldn’t quite bring herself to reject the idea...she was determined for her gathering to be a success and for Europe to become united, as it should have been so long ago.

In the end, she’d opted to leave it to fate; her heat had been steadily losing intensity from day to day, and she wasn’t entirely sure just how much longer it’d last, lacking as she did the right sort of nose to confirm it. The summit’s date had been settled and she wasn’t going to reschedule it for something as silly as this, so if her heat was over by then, so be it.

“Hah, you’ve used ‘Old Amsterdam’ in this!” Nicola said between bites. “Well, three guesses who that came from.”

“Maybe…” Ddraig grinned. “For all you know I could have been making food with it for years now.”

“Suuuure.” Nicola rolled her eyes. “And I’m guessing you just happened to always be a fan of rookworst as well?” she said, gesturing to the sliced meat on the plate.

“Yeah, you got me there.” Ddraig admitted. “Alex has been sharing a lot of his favourite foods with me. I’ve developed quite the taste for Dutch sausages as a result, actually.”

Nicola snickered, and Cystal put her own paw in front of her mouth, while Ddraig’s eyes went wide as she realised just what she’d said.

“...what I MEANT was-”

“No, no, I understand.” Nicola teased. “Heavens, I had no idea Alex enjoyed sausage as much as you.”

“Urrghh.” Ddraig groaned. What evil will I unleash when I introduce her to Elwynn? I’m not sure the world is ready...

“All right, Nic, leave her be.” Cystal said, throwing Ddraig a lifeline. “Where were we before all this? The summit thing of yours?”

“Actually, just before we talk about that,” Ddraig said, deciding to bite the bullet, “I want to introduce you both to someone…”

“From Alex’ family?”

“No, no, an old friend of mine, but you have to promise me that you won’t freak out, all right?” she continued, holding out a talon warningly. “He looks a bit scary, but he is - and always has been - a wonderful dragon who deserves better than...than unfair prejudice.”

“Uh...okay?” Nicola said, sounding concerned by where this was all going.

“This is a little odd, Ddraig, but…go ahead. I trust you.” Cystal added.

“All right, then.” Ddraig said, unable to stop herself from sighing. She wanted to trust her friends, but...well, it was one thing to say you wouldn’t be afraid, and another to actually mean it. “Elwynn?”

From the shadows of the room, Elwynn manifested, reforming from the darkness and taking on his familiar form.

“Uh, hi!” he said, waving awkwardly. His red eyes and the nervous smile revealing his sharp vampiric fangs did not help; Cystal froze in place and went deathly still, while Nicola squealed with fright and somersaulted across the room - a feat that Ddraig wouldn’t have thought the larger dragoness capable of doing - tackling Cystal to the ground in the process.

“Oh, for the love of-” Ddraig grumbled, rubbing her forehead with her paw.

“It’s fine, Ddraig.” Elwynn said, sitting beside her. “I’m...kind of used to it by now.”

“You shouldn’t have to be!” she snapped back, before turning to her friends. “And you two promised you wouldn’t freak out!”

“Wait…” Cystal squinted, pushing Nicola off her in yet another unexpected feat of strength. “Is that...Elwynn?”

“Yes, it is.” Ddraig muttered, rolling her eyes. “He just happens to also be a vampire, like how I’m a girl now. Ooh, terrifying, clearly we are both mindless monsters.”

“What, King Elwynn?” Nicola asked, curiosity winning out over fear. “Who conjured a literal ice show at the 2000 New Year festival?”

“That’s…that’s a weirdly specific thing to recognise me from.” Elwynn confessed.

“I was in the country at the time. The animated doe made out of ice was so beautiful!” Nicola beamed. “I mean, I did also see you all those times you and King Arthur got into scrapes at court…”

“Ah. In that case I think I prefer your first choice.” Elwynn smiled nervously. “I still have to apologise to Arthur for the last time, actually.”

“I think we’re getting off topic here.” Cystal said. “Tell me, what happened? Has this been a secret this whole time?”

“No, I only found out a couple of days ago.” Ddraig admitted. “It’s a long story, and it’s his to tell.”

“Aye, ‘tis a tale of great heroics, hardships and strife,” Elwynn grinned, putting on his best faux-pirate voice. “Gather round, lasses, and I shall tell of my-”

“On second thought, maybe another time, Elwynn.” Ddraig snickered, poking his side with her tail.

“Yeah, you’re right.” he said, settling back down. “Need more time to think up the exciting parts, anyway.”

“Wait,” Nicola frowned, “I thought I heard that one of your relatives was going to take over as King of Wales.”

“Murchad, yes.” Ddraig sighed, well aware where this was going. The Chancellery had nominated him mere days after Elwynn’s arrival, and while she had been keen for Elwynn to resume his duties, he had repeatedly refused the offer; being both reluctant to deal with the hostility that he knew would be directed his way, and unwilling to live in luxury while those who had taken him in at his darkest moment were scavenging for scraps in the shadows, an underclass of society in all but name. In the end, Ddraig had conceded, knowing he was right; there were too many things that needed to be done first. One day, though, maybe when the situation was different, she could ask him again and get the answer she wanted, so she could give him back everything he had lost because...because she’d not stopped him from going to Ifriqiya with her. Murchad would almost certainly understand the situation and be happy to work with her, but it would have to be handled delicately, lest the question of the Welsh Monarchy become one of the most controversial, polarising debates of the day.

“So...you aren’t going to go public about this any time soon?”

Elwynn shook his head. “Not yet.”

“It’ll be our secret for now.” Ddraig said, eager to move on from that matter. “But I thought it’d be nice for you to get to know him. He’s my oldest friend, and he’s been a bit starved of contact-”

Elwynn cleared his throat. “Bad choice of words, Ddraig.”

“Oh, er, right,” she said, going red. “Um, I meant it’s been a while since he and I did anything fun together, so I thought we could-”

“Something fun?” Nicola smirked, “Maybe try again?”

“Dammit, Nicola, that’s not what I meant!” Ddraig blushed, “I mean, friend fun stuff, not…cheat on my secret boyfriend fun stuff.”

"Of course,” Cystal nodded innocently, “but will he enjoy it? I mean, we are having a bit of a girl's night..."

"Ah, it'll be fine." Nicola chuckled. "He can be an honorary girl for now."

"You mean like this?" Elwynn grinned, his scale colours beginning to shift from grey to red. Within seconds, a second Nicola was sitting beside them all, mirroring the original’s movements with ease.

"...okay, that's kind of creepy.”

"Sorry." Elwynn replied in Nicola’s voice, before returning to normal.

“Well, I thought it was cool.” Cystal smiled. “Can you transform into anybody?”

“Sort of; there’s a fair bit of guesswork involved, but any vampire can pull this off with some practice.” Elwynn explained. “Why, was there someone in particular you wanted to see?”

“Oh, not right now,” Cystal said, “but...do you suppose any of your friends would be interested in posing as models? It’d make some pictures a lot easier if I had some lookalikes to help with references.”

“Hmm, no idea.” Elwynn stroked his cheek thoughtfully. “But I’m sure some of them will be up for it, certainly!”

That was a good idea, Ddraig privately thought. She’d not even considered how certain vampiric abilities could be used in everyday life...were there other industries where they could make things more efficient? It’d certainly help get the average citizen on board with welcoming them back after years of seeing them as nothing more than monsters…

“Actually, maybe I was too hasty there.” Nicola smirked. “Could I borrow you a bit later for a joke?”

***

“There you are!” Queen Sasha said, running forwards and embracing Ddraig. “Ancestors, how long has it been?”

“Quite a while.” Ddraig chuckled, somewhat taken aback by her gesture. Sasha actually hugging her was...very new; the last time the two of them had been at the same gathering had been before her curse had taken hold, and before that point Sasha had always held out a paw for Ddraig to kiss.

Speaking of which, she thought, quickly holding out her own foreclaw to King Korinth.

“Much too long.” he said, giving her a gentle peck. “It’s good to see you again.”

“And you too, Korinth.” Ddraig nodded, surprised at how calm the normally irritable monarch was. Had he got better at controlling himself since she’d last seen him, or did he just put on a gentler face when around dragonesses? She couldn’t really blame her heat for his behaviour; it seemed to be on its last legs now, as far as she could tell. “You seem to be in a good mood today.”

“As opposed to what?” he frowned. “Am I normally not?”

Ah, there’s the familiar Korinth. Ddraig observed. Gentler face around dragonesses it is, then.

“It’s a compliment, Kory.” Sasha said, elbowing his side. “Be gracious.”

“But I-” he began to splutter, only to subside quickly. “Yes, you’re quite right,” he said, closing his eyes and rubbing his brow. “My apologies, Ddraig.”

“It’s fine, Korinth.”

“Are we the first ones here?” Sasha asked, peering at the door to the hall; the same one that had been used years before for the conclave that elected Ddraig as ruler of Avalar. In the years since the Second Malefor War, the building had been largely renovated and restored to its rightful glory, but the facade of the building still bore the scars of gunfire and bullet holes; a silent memorial to the past.

“No, third.” Ddraig smirked. “The King of Ireland arrived an hour early, and Sepa not too long after him.”

“Ah, now what exactly is going on with Sepa’s state right now?” Korinth asked. “I’ve heard the odd story, but-”

“Hey, you there!” a strangely accented voice called from inside the hall. Looking behind her, Ddraig noticed none other than the King of Ireland himself, Shaun MacArdghail, hurrying over to a small red dragon in the process of preparing silverware.

“Oh, your Majesty?” the servant bowed, “You’re very earl-”

“Yes, yes, I know, but I need some quick answers.” the Irish king interrupted. “The food. Tell me, what is it you’re planning on serving at this banquet? Do you have any vegetarian food choices?”

“Yes, of course!” The servant offered. “I can provide a copy of the menu if you wish, but we’ll be providing a number of vegetarian alternatives to some of the meals we’re providing. We’ve got a number of salads, there’s some meat-free things, and various other things with locally sourced fresh vegetables, eggs, and all sorts.”

“And is this food cruelty free?”

“Cruelty free…vegetables?” Beside Ddraig, Korinth and Sasha had tilted their heads closer to the door, listening in to the unusual conversation.

“No, are the farms they are sourced from ethical, my good sir? Do they treat their own animals with care?”

“Oh, er, of course. I...I can assure you that no animals were harmed in the creation of the vegetables we’re sourcing for the banquet, your Majesty.”

The king nodded. “That’s good to hear. Now, do you know if you’ve got gluten free stuff?”

“I believe so, sir, but I’m sure I can relay any concerns to our cooks, if you’re worried you won’t be able to have anything on the menus.”

“No, no,” Shaun chuckled, shaking his head. “I’m not asking for me, I’m asking for someone else!”

“You are, sir?”

“Of course! Are you aware that the lovely envoy for Denmark is highly glucose intolerant, vegetarian, and is quite particular about ensuring her food is nice and ethical? Now, I know she is trying to avoid making a fuss, but I believe it’s VERY important that she has whatever it is she requires, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Yes sir. I’m sure the banquet will be able to account for everybody’s needs, rest assured.”

“Excellent, thank you.” the Irish-American monarch said, before stepping past the servant and walking away, leaving the young dragon looking bewildered.

“What on earth are they playing at?” Korinth grumbled.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Sasha grinned. “Clearly young Shaun fancies this envoy, whoever she is.”

“Not him, the Danes.” Korinth continued. “Why is their queen sending a third party? Surely she’s capable of taking a few steps across her own border.”

“I’m sure there’ll be a good reason why.” Ddraig quickly said, before Korinth could go off on a tangent. “Anyway, leave that for me to handle; you two go on in and make yourselves comfortable.”

Korinth nodded, marching past with Sasha close behind. “Got any cheese in this building?” he barked grumpily.

“It’s Avalar, Kory,” Ddraig heard Sasha reply, “obviously there’s going to be cheese here!”

As her old friends disappeared into the hall, Ddraig began to wonder about the core of what - or rather, who - Korinth had been talking about. The Queen of Denmark wasn’t the only one of her invitees who had, for one reason or another, decided not to attend; Princess Lojala, the ruler of Wergul - and the pretender to the Sekeolasian throne - had already sent word she would be unable to travel for ‘security reasons’, while the heads of state of Chukotka, Iceland, the New Sekeolasian Islands and - most annoyingly - Norland had all bowed out a week beforehand, with Norland’s President, Jacquline Frost, even sending a flowery letter stating that she respected the idea and would ‘commit to continued cooperation with your planned union,’ but that she considered it unnecessary and inappropriate to join.

Ddraig scowled. Getting them on her side would have been one hell of an accomplishment, and for them to spurn her in this way was...well, frustrating, to put it lightly.

Before she could follow that train of thought any further, another guest arrived; a tall, silver-scaled dragoness in modest, also-silver finery, and an...almost impatient look on her face?

“Ah, Queen Aelid,” Ddraig said, nodding her head in greeting. “It is good to meet you at last.”

“Empress Ddraigtanto, before we proceed to any kind of formal bickering, let me make one thing perfectly clear: I am here because of my ties to NORDEK, not to Avalar. The Manx economy is Manx, not simply a coinpurse for imperialists. I am prepared to make concessions, and I confess my need to defend the Isle from foreign conquerors, but I will NOT be one of your vassals. Do you understand me?”

Ddraig smiled as politely as she could, given the circumstances. “I understand you have concerns, but I’m sure we can come to some kind of agreement that suits us both. Now, why don’t you head on inside? We’ve got the air conditioning running on full, and we can sort you out with something nice to drink.”

“Very well, I’ll indulge you in this.” she nodded firmly. “Anything to get out of this damned heat. You there!” she added, walking inside. “What kind of cheese do you Avalarians serve here, perchance?”

Once Aelid was out of sight, Ddraig closed her eyes and let out a long, tired sigh, burying her face in her paws. She had always expected that some of these multinational summits were going to be stressful, but she was beginning to wonder if this was the day she was going to finally lose her mind.

“Excuse me, your Imperial Highness-”

“Yes, we have plenty of CHEESE!” Ddraig let out a loud groan.

“Er, is everything all right?” the voice’s owner said, and Ddraig looked up to find herself face to face with a large, navy blue dragon clad in...furs? In this weather?

“Oh, forgive me,” Ddraig spluttered, recognising him as one of her guests, “I was…”

“There’s nothing to forgive, my lady.” the blue dragon - Tsar Petri of Karelia - smiled, which helped somewhat to put her at ease. Unlike Aelid, Ddraig had actually met him once before, albeit briefly, and she remembered him being agreeable enough? Although she couldn’t understand why on earth he was wearing furs...

“I know very well how stressful these sorts of things can be for the host.” he continued, leaning forwards and kissing her paw. “Incidentally, I’ll respectfully pass on the cheese; it brings me out in a rash.”

“Of course, of course,” Ddraig muttered, too preoccupied with his clothing to think about anything else. Seriously, why was he wearing furs in the middle of a summer heatwave? He was practically wearing a bear! He should be dead! “Please, let me take your coat; you must be roasting-”

The Tsar laughed. “Not at all, my dear, but thank you for your concern.”

In a swift, practiced motion, he whipped off his heavy cloak and - before Ddraig could say anything - placed it over her shoulders. To her amazement, it was blissfully cool inside the thick cloak, as if she was sitting inside a fridge. It was also surprisingly comfortable; it wasn’t even as heavy or overbearing as it had looked on Petri’s back.

“You’ll find that cloak features Icelandic runecraft,” the Tsar explained, “commissioned by my grandfather from skilled fire and ice mages. Wherever you wear it, it shall never be too hot, nor too cold, but just right. Something of a Goldilocks cloak, no?” he added with a wink.

Flatterer, Ddraig thought, keeping a smile on her face nonetheless. Okay, so that’s two males acting differently, just how many people out there are going to end up changing the way they act around me now? The thought didn’t leave Ddraig filled with confidence, and she swiftly shelved the thought to focus on the present. “Well, I’m very impressed. This is truly exquisite.”

“My gift to you, your Imperial Highness.” he said, bowing low.

“Oh, no,” Ddraig protested, “I couldn’t take-”

“There’s no need; I have others at home.” he insisted, striding into the hall. “If you’ll excuse me?”

For a brief moment, Ddraig considered chasing after him, but quickly decided making a scene at such a crucial time wasn’t the smartest move. Besides...it really was a comfortable cloak. Although there better not be a curse on THIS one; I’ve just gotten used to this body. Then again, she mused, he was wearing it himself but a few seconds ago; if there was a curse it’d have affected him too...

“Heavens, I’m not late, am I?” a female voice called, and Ddraig turned around to see a yellow dragoness in simple attire - at least when compared to the rest of her guests - who could only be the last of her guests; the Danish envoy.

“Forgive me,” Ddraig said, holding out her foreclaw in greeting, “I don’t believe we’ve been introduced?”

The dragoness smiled. “Countess Josephine Holmlund-Vestergaard, your Imperial Highness,” she said, bowing respectfully. “I am here on behalf of Queen Margrethe and the Union Government.”

“My pleasure, Josephine.” Ddraig nodded. “And a pleasant surprise. I was not aware that you were coming until one of the other delegates made mention of you.”

“They felt a human’s voice would be drowned out amid so many draconic guests, and I am inclined to agree. I guess I’m a ‘Luftherrin’ for the day, then?” she chuckled, using the old word for a draconic representative. “Parliament only let me know a few days before I was taken from my nice little dairy barn, and shipped off to your lovely country.”

Ddraig raised an eyebrow at the remark. “Your dairy barn?”

The Countess sheepishly smiled. “Oh yes. I am countess of the Isle of Falster. I have a nice little estate back home, where I busy myself with some humble milkmaidery in my spare time.”

“Wait, do you make cheese?” Ddraig exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. Josephine smiled shyly at the sudden peak of interest.

“It’s more a hobby, I do it for the love of the craft more than anything else,” she continued, “but yes, I do enjoy making all sorts of dairy; Milk of course, but also cream, butter, and yes, cheese.”

Oh Ancestors, is it a diplomatic slight to confess I prefer this young lady to Queen Margathe? Ddraig thought, biting her lip. “That sounds wonderful!” she replied, in a determined effort at restraint. “I would very much like to try some of your craft, someday, if I may be so bold?”

“But of course.” Josephine bowed.

What a colourful cast we make, Ddraig thought to herself. Well, at least this time I’m not going to be shooed out like a bad smelling wyvern.

“Come then, let’s go and mingle with our fellows.” Ddraig said, sweeping her wing around the danish dragoness’ back. “Incidentally, King Shaun has already checked on the food for you; there are plenty of vegetarian dishes you can pick from.”

“Oh!” Josephine said, and Ddraig noticed her cheeks going red. “How...how kind of him.”

“Indeed.” she nodded, doing her best to hide her grin, but ultimately failing to resist her own ‘benevolent intervention’. “I confess I’ve not known him long, but truly, he seems like such a charming dragon.”

“Yes, he is.” Josephine smiled, before catching herself. “I mean, we’ve only spoken once before, at a session for-”

“It’s fine, I understand.” Ddraig chuckled. “Don’t worry, I won’t say anything to the others.”

“T-thank you, your Imperial Highness.”

“Please, there’s no need for titles here. ‘Ddraig’ is fine.”

***

“Moving on to the next item I wish to bring forward, which is something of personal importance to me,” Ddraig said, reading from notes she’d prepared earlier, “I would like to propose that our nations consider the drafting and implementation of a shared charter protecting the rights of all sentient creatures, with additional articles outlining a fundamental right to the basic necessities of life for all-”

Ddraig paused, having noticed Aelid’s face slowly crumple into anger over the course of her speech. “Yes, Queen Aelid?” she spoke, already aware of what to expect as the Manx queen rose to her feet once again.

“Forgive me, Empress,” Aelid spat, “but once again you are trying to undermine the rights of our nations with your efforts to impose continent-wide rules on each of us!”

Ddraig rubbed her head, determined to keep herself calm. It had only taken ten minutes in her presence for Ddraig to realise she couldn’t stand the Manx queen; belligerent and stubborn, and somehow managing to find issues with everything they’d discussed thus far. When she’d brought up the notion of a single market, Aelid had objected that this would negatively impact their economies. When she’d raised the idea of common regulatory standards, Aelid had complained about it undermining Manx sovereignty and industry. When Ddraig had mentioned the matter of mutual defence, Aelid had angrily said this would just lead to their nations being ‘forcibly dragged into every costly and frivolous war of Avalar’s making’. The last of these rankled Ddraig in particular; Avalar had fought no offensive wars during her long tenure as Field Marshal, and she had come so close to an outburst against such an unfair misframing of her military record.

Thankfully, her guests had come to her defence on each occasion, in what she hoped was a sign that they were as keen on the overall plan as she was. Korinth had argued that their economies stood to significantly improve with easier access to one of their largest markets, Sasha had noted NORDEK already had common regulatory standards in place that weren’t being touched, and Sepa and Petri had both taken Aelid to task over her issues with defensive pacts.

“Aelid, you are at war right now!” Sepa had pointedly remarked. “And you’re turning down assistance based on the idea of some hypothetical future war?”

“It’s quite simple, Sepa; I refuse to commit any of my island’s people or resources to a conflict that does not concern them.” she’d retorted, folding her forelegs.

“Tell me, does our current struggle ‘concern’ you?” Petri had added, with a sudden hostility in his tone that was somewhat unsettling to Ddraig. “Does our alliance mean anything to you, or would you dishonour it to hide away from the world on your rock?”

To Ddraig’s delight, that had shut Aelid up for a short while, and she’d been able to proceed onto her next point with only minimal grumbling from her side of the table, but she’d known it wouldn’t be long before she’d start causing trouble again.

“In case you are unaware,” Aelid continued, “the Kingdom of Man already has a full bill of rights for her subjects enshrined within our constitution. For what purpose would we need to kowtow to some foreign bill which may potentially be lesser to our own?”

“Ancestors, what on earth are you talking about now?” Sepa groaned. “Surely the very fact we’re here aiding in the drafting of such documents is a sign we’re not being forced to ‘kowtow’ to anything?”

“And we know you know that,” Korinth growled, with barely contained frustration, “as you’ve been digging your heels into the dirt obstructing it all since you got here!”

“Because you’ve done little but nod your head at each new proposal!” Aelid countered. “We have a system that works already, and you are tossing it aside to let her exert her will over us all!”

“Is that what we’re doing?” Petri frowned. “It sounds to me like you’re trying to exert your will ‘over us all’ while we try and find something that benefits each of our nations, rather than just yours.”

Aelid went red. “As if I’m the only one here putting their own nation first! That was the reason behind your little ‘gift’ to our host, wasn’t it? Trying to grease the wheels in your favour-”

A loud bang erupted through the hall as, of all people, Sasha slammed her clenched paw onto her desk and jumped to her feet, a look of exasperated rage on her face.

“I can’t take any more of this!” she roared, and Ddraig nearly jumped out of her scales in shock. “Every single thing we’ve discussed has been ‘wrong’! Every single document and article has had to be debated, redrafted, debated again, and again, just for your entitled, pig-headed demands! Why are you even here, if the idea of a union is so repugnant to you?”

“You know, Sasha,” Aelid hissed, “I’ve been asking myself the same question. It is very apparent to me that this whole affair is a farce, and I’m wasting my breath trying to get you to see it!”

“Your Majesties, please, we mustn’t fight!” Stephanie protested. “There is a very real danger on all of our doorsteps, and our real enemies will attack us with more than words!”

“Oh, please, save your breath!” Aelid shouted, causing Stephanie to flinch. “Denmark clearly saw the nonsense of this accord, or else they’d have sent their queen, not some nobody who makes cheese for fun!”

“You’re out of order!” Shaun raged, leaping to his feet. “Who on earth do you think you are?”

“And who do you, American?” Aelid shouted back. “MY realm suffered under the British boot for hundreds of years, and I’m not about to submit to the Avalarian boot now!”

“What do you mean, submitting?” King Shaun snarled. “Do you think any of us would be here if that was on the table? Ireland was a British colony for hundreds of years too, Aelid! In fact, I daresay that they treated US worse than they treated YOU!”

“Spare me your performative tripe!” Aelid fired back, “What in your empty head justifies you trying to claim your subjects’ struggles as your own? You might wear a crown and call yourself a king, but we all know you’re just a jumped-up, pretty boy actor from California!”

“How dare you-”

“That’s enough!” Ddraig barked, having reached the end of her tether. “Aelid, you were invited to come here of your own accord, and you may leave of your own accord as well. Either sit down, and apologise for your attacks on my esteemed guests, or I shall have my men escort you from the premises!”

“Don’t bother, your Imperial Highness, I’ll see myself out!” Aelid spat. “If none of you will lift a talon to save NORDEK from oblivion, then so be it. I wash my claws of the lot of you.”

“NORDEK is dead, Aelid!” Petri snapped. “Either stay and try to build something new with the rest of us, or keep on clinging to its corpse and dreaming of better times while your country collapses.”

Aelid said nothing in response, but turned, and swiftly stormed out of the hall, leaving the room in an awkward silence.

“...I think we should probably take a break.” Ddraig sighed, shaking her head in frustration. Her remaining guests seemed to be encapsulating every emotion she was flickering between; Petri looked fit to explode, poor Josephine was doing her best to hide tears while Shaun looked her way with concern, Sasha had her head in her talons, Korinth was visibly grinding his teeth beside her - then again, that wasn’t too far from how he usually acted - and Sepa, like her, was anxiously looking around the room at the others.

“Yes, agreed.” Korinth nodded, getting to his feet. “I could use some fresh air.”